Chapter 22

22

28 years old - Nick

B eing as tall as he is, the guy is hard to miss. The moment the elevator door opens, I immediately spot Bryce in the lobby and my stare hardens at the sight of him. Unlike the last time we met, Bryce isn't wearing a dress shirt and slacks this time, opting for sneakers and a hoodie instead. He looks every bit the fuckboy that he was when he still lived in Radinger. He takes his eyes off his phone and spots me coming toward him. We both nod in acknowledgment. No bro hug or handshake. No friendliness in the air.

Bryce clears his throat. "Let's do the breakfast buffet. You look like you haven't slept all night. Maybe it's better to stay here."

"Nice to see you, too, Bryce," I sneer. I am too hungover for a comeback right now. The muscles in my body are collectively aching, and my head feels like there are goddamn splinters jabbed inside. Honestly, I'm just here because it was too late to cancel. I have zero desire to hear what Bryce has to say. However, by the way he was chummy with the people interviewing me, I also don't want to piss him off and get fired before I even start my first day.

Bryce starts a conversation in German with the waitress at the front of the restaurant, mumbling words I don't understand. He sounds fluent. Like a decade of living here fluent. The waitress smiles and leads us both to a booth at the end of the hall near the bread section. Bryce says something to her again, and she leaves after doing her best effort to flirt with him. I don't need to understand German to know that she wants to yank his hoodie off with her bare teeth.

After he stacks a bunch of food on his plate and I grab myself a croissant, we go back to our table and eat in awkward silence. I am about to ask Bryce what the purpose of our meeting today is when he starts speaking.

"Remember the first time I met you?" he asks me, looking straight at me as he stabs a bacon piece with his fork and puts it in his mouth. "We did a whole buffet thing then as well. Your parents were there, too. You all just came back from Japan."

"Why are you telling me this?" Get to the fucking point, man.

Before Bryce can say anything, the flirty waitress returns to offer us coffee and tea. We both ask for coffee and she pours the black liquid into our cups. Once she leaves, I notice the seriousness on his face that's telling me I'm just about to get my wish.

"Do you want to know how she's doing?"

"I don't give a shit how she's doing," I scoff at his question.

Bryce doesn't answer. He takes a sip of his coffee and puts the cup down on the saucer. "Do you know what's funny?" he asks, although I feel like this is a rhetorical question.

"What, Bryce? What is funny?"

"I didn't know who you were back then. Lily mentioned you once or twice, but I only knew you as some guy she used to hang out with who moved to Japan at some point." Heat radiates in my chest, but I try to hide the bitterness from Bryce. "I was home that day during summer break and Astrid told us we would have your family over for brunch. Only then did I hear the whole story of you two. How you were practically dating since the age of five."

He stops before continuing his ramble. "Astrid, man." A forced laugh escapes his mouth. "That woman is a piece of work."

"I don't have fucking dementia, Bryce. I know my own life story. And I know how Astrid is. What's your point here?" Bryce toys around with his fork, chewing his food in silence. I can't believe I fucking set an alarm for this.

"When I saw you, I knew that her relationship with Kevin was over. The way you stole glances at each other, the way she started acting differently the moment she knew you were there in the flesh again. It was a pretty fascinating watch, Johnson."

I look at Bryce, and my mouth forms an evil grin. "Are you afraid that now I'm here, she'll leave you for me? Is that it?" I answer sarcastically. "Like I said, I don't give a shit about her." He frowns with his arms crossed in front of his chest, trying to process what I just said. "Oh, don't act so surprised, Bryce," I mock him. "Elsham Cove's finest step siblings running off into the fucking sunset together and cutting everyone else off. I'm sure you know what people are saying about you two."

"And you believe them?"

"I know neither of you bothered to explain to me why the fuck Lily left me. I know I only got radio silence from both of you." The handful of people who are dining with us all look in our direction as I yell at Bryce. I let out a long breath and lean back in my chair.

"I'm sorry for that, Nick."

"I don't want your apology." Appearing shocked at my harsh response, he doesn't give an immediate answer. Sorry to disappoint. I'm not some golden retriever doormat. Not anymore.

"Do you remember when I used to text you when Lily had just gotten into a fight with her mom?" he asks, shaking his head. "She used to get mad at me for that, but I knew she always felt better after you snuck into the house." Bryce presses his lips together. His next breath exhales loudly from his nostrils. "Nick, I h?—"

"Whatever you want to say, I don't want to hear it."

"You don't want to know the truth?"

"What truth can you offer me, really? It's a decade too late. I'm not interested." I look at him in pure disgust. This guy is unbelievable. The gossip was probably right. That was the truth. I'm not going to be the town idiot again.

I push my chair back and stand up to leave. The moment I'm on my feet, Bryce slides his phone to my side of the table. A photo fills up the whole screen and my eyes widen with shock at the sight. "What the fuck. This can't be..." I struggle to find the words. "Bryce? Who the fuck is this?"

"Are you ready to hear the truth now?"